Paradise by design
Restaurateur Pat Kuleto creates a self‐contained gourmet‐o‐sphere
Lynne Char Bennett, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, March 17, 2005
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Is it a chefʹs nightmare, or nirvana?
Imagine the pressure of cooking for restaurant king Pat Kuleto, who has helped shape more
than 170 dining establishments worldwide in a 30‐plus‐year career.
Then imagine cooking for Kuleto the winery owner, whose passion is to perfectly pair food
to wine.
Itʹs a dream for Janelle Weaver, executive chef at Kuleto Estate Family Vineyards, preparing
dinner for Kuleto several nights a week and creating winery event menus to match Kuletoʹs
food‐friendly wines.
ʺPat and I are kindred spirits,ʺ Weaver says. She and Kuleto share similar sensibilities and
excitement about food and wine, including a field‐to‐ table approach.
Kuleto is best known in the Bay Area for the restaurants heʹs designed and co‐owns with
chefs Nancy Oakes (Boulevard, San Francisco), Mark Franz (Farallon, San Francisco), Traci
Des Jardins (Jardiniere, San Francisco) and Todd Humphries (Martini House, St. Helena).
Kuletoʹs reach has expanded beyond restaurants to include wine ‐‐ and that, ironically, was
the impetus for him to hire an executive chef.
In 1993, Kuleto founded Kuleto Estate Family Vineyards ‐‐ 800 acres in the mountains above
Lake Hennessey, overlooking the Napa Valley, with sweeping vistas often shrouded by
early morning, low‐lying fog. Here, Kuleto blends his passion for food and wine with his
ranch operations of vineyards, organic gardens, fruit and olive orchards, livestock, and
lakes stocked with fish. Pastures filled with wooly ewes, lambs, frolicking goats and their
kids; coops of chickens and squab; hutches of rabbits; and produce of every kind make
Kuletoʹs ranch almost self‐sufficient.
Not long ago, Kuleto was pleading with his staff to take produce home with them. There
wasnʹt enough time or manpower for the estate to use it all, even with increasingly frequent
winery events. Mimi Gatens, co‐general manager and director of sales and marketing, had
logistical problems trying to coordinate winery events with the schedules of Kuletoʹs chef‐
partners, who would cook for them.
The solution? Hire a full‐time executive chef to cook and oversee winery events, make use of
the ranchʹs bounty and also be Kuletoʹs personal chef. The chef would cook for Kuleto and
his 9‐year‐old son, Daniel, at Kuletoʹs Tuscan‐ style home, called Villa Cucina.
Gatens, who met Weaver in Reno 3 1/2 years ago, ran into her last year at Meadowood Napa
Valley, where Weaver had taken a management position. When the need for a winery chef
arose, Gatens thought Weaver might be right for the job.
Weaver first met Kuleto when she arrived at Kuleto Estate for her cooking tryout last
August. Kuleto told her, ʺDonʹt be nervous.ʺ To which Weaver replied, ʺItʹs just food. Either
youʹll like it or not.ʺ
Besides approving of her cooking, Kuleto appreciated that Weaver was mellow, ʺcompletely
presentʺ and excited about harvesting and cooking from the ranch.
The first grapes were planted on the estate in 1993, along with a modest vegetable and herb
garden Kuleto planted for his own use. This initial foray into ranch farming has expanded to
include two acres of fruit trees, three acres of olive trees, almost three acres of gardens and
flowers, and livestock for eating, not just for petting or scenery.
Kuleto is developing more gardens to include year‐round cool‐weather vegetables ‐‐
including artichokes, broccoli and cauliflower.
All of the livestock ‐‐ rabbits, squab, lamb, some pigs and a few turkeys for the holidays ‐‐
are consumed at the Villa and at winery events. ʺWeʹre restarting the chicken program,
raising chickens for meat, not just eggs, and we plan to add guinea fowl,ʺ Weaver says. Egg
production is still important though; recently three dozen eggs were collected on one sunny
day.
Livestock is slaughtered, skinned and gutted at the ranch, though some larger animals
(cattle, sheep, pigs and an occasional goat) are taken to Browns Valley Market in Napa for
final processing.
Weaver purchases some things, including pantry items like sugar and flour, some seafood
and shellfish, beef and dairy products. Both Kuleto and Weaver are excited about producing
more from the ranch, with plans to make goat cheese and charcuterie, can excess produce,
set up an apiary for honey and a smoker for meats, and acquire an olive‐oil press.
Kuleto and Daniel drive down to man‐made Lake Brunello to fish, with Panchita, Kuletoʹs
black Labrador retriever mix, often chasing through the vineyard after his car. Built about 13
years ago, Lake Brunello is 37 feet deep and stocked with fish including perch, sturgeon and
striped bass. Kuleto fishes on weekends when he can, often with Daniel.
The lake is landscaped with rocks and boulders hauled in from Lake Hennessey. But one
part of Lake Brunelloʹs wide walkway stands out, laid in a round pattern with bricks instead
of natural rock. This area and surrounding blue lights were sourced and installed in just
three days after Kuleto ‐ on a whim ‐‐ decided to build a helipad. It wasnʹt because he
owned a helicopter himself, but because he wanted friends and neighbors to drop in if they
flew by.
Weaver usually puts in a long day, starting shortly after the sun comes up to walk a hilly,
three‐mile route that takes her through the vineyard and past the garden areas. She carries a
basket and small paring knife, cutting vegetables and greens as she sees them and is
inspired. With the seasonal transition, the last of the current lettuce crop and brussels
sprouts are harvested, along with a variety of braising greens.
If preparing lunch for Kuleto or a noonish winery event, Weaver arrives in the kitchen
before 9 a.m. Every morning she ritually fires up the oven and cooks a full pound of bacon,
intermittently noshing on the crispy strips and fresh bread from Bouchon Bakery, as do the
staff who occasionally wander through the kitchen. ʺWe canʹt wait until tomato season,ʺ
says Gatens, envisioning BLTs.
With classical music playing in the background, Weaver prepares lunch for Kuleto and his
winemaker, Dave Lattin.
Today sheʹll serve a lightly dressed salad of chanterelles and just‐ picked greens garnished
with rabbit loin poached in Lapsang souchong tea. The salad is paired with the 2003 Kuleto
Estate Chardonnay and 2003 Kuleto Estate Pinot Noir. Teal and mallard duck breast from
one of Kuletoʹs hunts, a rabbit liver and apple ʺstuffing,ʺ braised garden greens and brussels
sprouts and a parsnip sauce are served with the 2001 Kuleto Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and
2002 Kuleto Estate Syrah.
Guadelupe Alvarez, who often assists Weaver in the kitchen, makes dessert ‐‐ an orange
cake and brandy sauce from estate oranges and just‐laid eggs. Kuleto, talkative and full of
excitement about plans for the ranch, serves the wonderfully moist cake with a marvelous
well‐balanced limoncello made with Sangiovese grappa for his personal use.
Most of the kitchen basics Weaver handles herself, but she brings in extra help for large
events.
ʺI make all the stocks and ʹdemiʹ (an enriched, concentrated veal sauce), portion it out and
freeze it for use in the winery kitchen and Villa,ʺ Weaver says. She makes squab stock more
often than chicken stock, then stores it in one of five full‐sized home upright freezers. With a
battery of copper pots overhead and reach‐in refrigerators under the long stainless steel
work surface, Weaver doesnʹt have to waste motion.
The efficient kitchen has a six‐burner stove with an oven and a large broiler called a
salamander, a double‐basket deep fryer, large grill and a separate wall oven. It has seen its
share of star chefs. Kuletoʹs chef‐ partners occasionally cook for special events, generally
prepping in their respective restaurant kitchens, then bringing everything ‐ staff usually
included ‐ to execute the menu in the winery kitchen.
The beautiful winery is the site for up to three or four distributor events per week and an
occasional private event.
The Kuleto Estate annual release party for about 500 guests is held at the winery. Two 300‐
pound pigs and sometimes a goat are pit‐roasted with grapevine cuttings overnight in a
large underground pit for the carnitas fest. Besides the pit, two outdoor wood ovens Kuleto
has dubbed ʺThe Willy Wonka Pizza and Carnitas Factoryʺ are often fired up for large
events. One event this past weekend ‐‐ celebrating Kuletoʹs 60th birthday, which is actually
today ‐‐ was for 150 guests.
Besides cooking for winery events, Weaver prepares dinner about four times a week at the
Villa. Weaverʹs three hours of preparation starts in the garden, harvesting just before
cooking.
Kuleto usually has a glass of Chardonnay before dinner, though he says, ʺThe Zinfandel is
my go‐to wine.ʺ He enjoys a lot of flavor in his wine and food and explains that his
Zinfandel is very versatile to pair with the food he eats. Weaver joins Kuleto and Daniel at
the table to share the meal ‐‐ an appetizer, salad, a couple of vegetables and a protein, with
an occasional starch like polenta.
An adventurous eater, Daniel ‐‐ who splits his time between the estate and his motherʹs
house in St. Helena ‐‐ is definitely his fatherʹs son and loves rabbit, rare duck and squab.
ʺAnd as long as it comes from the ranch, Pat is OK eating it,ʺ Weaver says. ʺHe tries to fish
on the weekends ‐‐ if he catches something, thatʹs probably what heʹll have for dinner that
night.ʺ
Kuleto enjoys cooking and has a repertoire of excellent dishes. ʺPat makes a great deep‐fried
rabbit dish. He likes to participate in the cooking,ʺ Weaver says. ʺWhen he does, I usually
leave him the manly things to do, like clean the fish or grill the meat.ʺ
Daniel helps too, especially with dessert because he likes to bake, often making box cakes on
his own.
ʺPat has specific ways he likes things ‐‐ things heʹs had over the years,ʺ Weaver explains,
ʺThe way things he perceives to be traditionally. If he doesnʹt like something, heʹll tactfully
say, ʹThatʹs not my favorite thing. ʹ ʺ
At the house, the living area and kitchen are simultaneously rustic and elegant, and almost
larger than life, with an atmosphere that is classic Kuleto. Kuleto describes the Villa as a
huge kitchen and living area with some bedrooms attached. Weaver particularly loves the
four refrigerators ‐‐ one each for meat, dairy, produce and beverages.
Kuleto is always thinking ahead and wants to be prepared. In fact, the ranch is so close to
being self‐sufficient, it even has two emergency generators. Water wells on the property and
the lake, which serves as a reservoir, supply all the ranchʹs water needs.
Itʹs 6 1/2 miles from the Silverado Trail to the ranch gate, then another 15 minutes up a
narrow, winding road to the winery. The remote location has a volunteer fire department on
site ‐ Kuleto calls it the Hennessey Ridge Fire Department. Kuleto employees complete
training to operate the fire engine, which is kept at the maintenance building.ʺ
Besides knowing how to fight fires and run a fire engine, Kuleto staff members have varied
skills and are either related or longtime friends.
Gatens says, ʺPat is laid‐back but has high expectations of his team, who more than deliver
on most counts.ʺ
Alvarez ‐‐ nicknamed Lupita ‐‐ was initially brought to the ranch to craft adobe bricks by
hand from red clay on the property. Like the others on the Kuleto team, Alvarez has
multiple responsibilities. Besides making bricks, she also tends to the livestock, makes all
event floral arrangements, helps maintain the winery and the Villa and assists Weaver in the
kitchen as needed.
Weaver started cooking professionally in Reno, where she opened a restaurant/cooking
school with a chef‐partner whoʹd graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San
Francisco. The Reno school offered catering and classes with guest chefs like John Ash, who
taught food and wine pairing.
ʺI learned about cooking hands‐on in the kitchen, from other chefs, watching the Food
Network, by trial and error, paying attention, being intimate with the food and discovering
what has affinities for one another,ʺ Weaver says.
On days off, Weaver often spends time walking the property and learning more about it.
She doesnʹt watch much TV or go to the movies.
ʺThings here are so fulfilling I donʹt feel the need to go off and do other things right now,ʺ
she says. ʺCooking is meditative for me. I think of myself as a social person but tend to close
the doors and concentrate on cooking ‐‐ sort of like nesting. I crave cooking if Iʹve had a
stressful week.
ʺI get stressed thinking about everything coming up, how to handle it while still in a
learning mode. Iʹm 32 and coming back to the gardens and relearning about things Iʹve
known as a kid and learning new stuff like weeding, growing and harvesting.ʺ
Not many wineries have a full‐time chef, much less one who lives on the property and
wakes up looking at a gently sloping hill of Pinot Noir. Itʹs even rarer to have an
opportunity to be doing what Weaver is doing ‐‐ working with a wide range of organic,
pristine foodstuffs; continually learning and experimenting while simultaneously
functioning as a chef. She is part of a dedicated, high‐functioning team committed to
executing the visions of an extraordinary culinary visionary ‐‐ Pat Kuleto, who appreciates
the best the land has to offer. Both Weaver and Kuleto are living their dreams.
ʺI am grateful and respectful of the opportunity Iʹve been given,ʺ Weaver says. ʺI want to
showcase it the best I can.ʺ
Tasting Pat Kuletoʹs wines
Napa Valley wines arenʹt cheap, yet Pat Kuletoʹs bottlings, made by Dave Lattin from
Kuletoʹs estate vineyards above Lake Hennessy in eastern Napa Valley, are outstanding in
quality and very good values compared with the competition.
2003 Kuleto Estate Napa Valley Rosato di Sangiovese ($15) ‐‐ A pretty rosé with bright
strawberry and raspberry aromas and flavors ‐‐ refreshing and a great springtime sipper.
2002 Kuleto Estate Napa Valley Chardonnay ($26) ‐‐ Nicely balanced, moderately rich and
judiciously oaked, this wine, unlike many other Napa Valley Chardonnays, is at home at the
dinner table. It has bright pear and spiced apple flavors, with a pleasant gravelly note,
refreshing acidity and, despite undergoing full malolactic fermentation, only a wisp of
buttery character. The 2003 vintage is soon to be released.
2002 Kuleto Estate Napa Valley Pinot Noir ($40) ‐‐ Ripe and full‐ flavored, with black
cherry, blackberry and dark plum fruit and hints of saddle leather and cola. Keen acidity
holds it all together.
2000 Kuleto Villa Native Son Napa Valley Sangiovese ($22) ‐‐ One hundred percent varietal,
this wine offers more rich, ripe fruit than most California Sangioveses ‐‐ black cherry and
blueberry ‐‐ along with hints of spice, earth and toasty oak. The 2001 will be out later this
month.
2002 Kuleto Estate Napa Valley Syrah ($40) ‐‐ Despite its firm, chewy tannins, this wine is
warming in the mouth, with very ripe blackberry jam and blueberry flavors, plus hints of
black pepper and worn leather. The alcohol content hovers around 15 percent, yet the wine
has great balance.
2002 Kuleto Estate Napa Valley Zinfandel ($28) ‐‐ Like the Syrah, Kuletoʹs Zinfandel packs
some alcohol (14.8 percent) and firm tannins, yet everything is in balance ‐‐ from the fresh
raspberry and wild‐berry fruit flavors to the peppery spice and hint of sarsaparilla, to the
warmth of the mouthfeel, followed by a clean, natural‐acidity finish.
2001 Kuleto Estate Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($50) ‐‐ A deep, rich wine with a nose
of rose petal, plum, black licorice, toast and earth. On the palate, there are juicy flavors of
black cherry, cranberry and plum, with secondary notes of tobacco leaf and spice. Well
integrated, with supple tannins.
‐‐ Linda Murphy